Single station covering and fastening system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for forming a cover about an article and for automatically fastening the cover to the article, and optionally for automatically placing a label on the covered article. The article may be an article such as a potted plant and the cover may be a decorative cover. The invention satisfies the need for a means for rapidly covering and fastening the cover about an article with a minimal amount of manual effort and in a location having a limited amount of available space. The apparatus comprises a platform having at least one opening sized to receive the article. The apparatus comprises a tying device for automatically applying a band or fastener about a portion of the outer surface of the covered article for fastening the cover about the article after the sheet is formed into a cover about the article.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S.Ser. No. 08/088,692, filed on Jul. 7, 1993, entitled “ROTARY COVERINGAND FASTENING SYSTEM”.

[0002] This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.08/088,976, filed on Jul. 8, 1993, entitled “CONVEYABLE COVER FORMER ANDFASTENING SYSTEM”.

[0003] This application is also a continuation-in-part of pending priorapplication Ser. No. 07/979,389, filed Nov. 19, 1992, entitled “MEANSFOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT” which is acontinuation of pending prior application Ser. No. 07/832,096, filedFeb. 6, 1992, entitled “MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT AFLOWER POT”, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/765,416,filed on Sep. 26, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599, entitled “MEANS FORSECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT”, which is a continuationof Ser. No. 530,491, filed May 29, 1990, now ABANDONED, which was acontinuation of Ser. No. 315,169 filed Feb. 24, 1989, now ABANDONED.

BACKGROUND

[0004] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method forplacing a cover about an article, automatically applying a fastenerabout the covered article and removing the covered article at a singlestation, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to suchapparatus and methods wherein the article is a potted plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first sheet of material with one endturned up and constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0006]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a second sheet of material with one endturned up and constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0007]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first and the secondsheets of material disposed adjacent each other.

[0008]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing bonding areas on the surfaceof a first sheet or a second sheet which cause bonding of the secondsheet and the first sheet.

[0009]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a modified first and second sheetsof material.

[0010]FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view of a modified first sheetof material connected to a modified second sheet of material.

[0011]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of still another modified firstsheet of material connected to a modified second sheet of material.

[0012]FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of yet another modifiedfirst sheet of material connected to a modified second sheet ofmaterial.

[0013]FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets ofmaterial, constructed in accordance with the present invention forming acontinuous roll, the roll partially unrolled to reveal a single sheetstill attached thereto.

[0014]FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets ofmaterial forming a continuous roll of material disposed in a dispenser.

[0015]FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing a roll of material whereinthe roll of material comprises a first and a second sheet of materialconstructed in accordance with the present invention disposed in adispenser (diagrammatically shown in FIG. 11) for dispensing the firstand the second sheets of material from the roll of material.

[0016]FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a roll of material fordispensing a first and a second sheet of material constructed inaccordance with the present invention from the roll of material.

[0017]FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a pad of first and secondsheets of material constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a sheet ofmaterial of the present invention, and a pot disposed upon the sheet.

[0019]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sheet of material of FIG. 14,showing a sheet of material partially wrapped about a flower pot.

[0020]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the sheet of material wrappedabout a flower pot.

[0021]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a pre-formed decorative potcover.

[0022]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a potted plant wrapped by a sheetof material to form a covered potted plant.

[0023]FIG. 19 is a plan view of a sheet of material with a sheetextension connected thereto constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0024]FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view of a flower pot having afloral grouping disposed therein.

[0025]FIG. 21 is a partial perspective view of the sheet of materialformed into a pot cover with the sheet extension connected thereto.

[0026]FIG. 22 is a partial perspective view showing the flower pot ofFIG. 20 disposed in the pot cover of FIG. 21 with the sheet extensionformed about the floral grouping.

[0027]FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the upper surface of another sheetof material with a sheet extension connected thereto constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing the sheet of material of FIG.23 crimpingly formed about a flower pot and the sheet extension formedabout a floral grouping to provide a protective covering.

[0029]FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a portion of the sheet of materialcrimped to form an overlapping fold.

[0030]FIG. 26 is a plan view of one version of the present inventionwhich applies a band or fastener below the support surface.

[0031]FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 26 asviewed from one angle.

[0032]FIG. 28 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 26 asviewed from a second angle.

[0033]FIG. 29 is a plan view of another version of the present inventionwhich applies a band or fastener above the upper support assembly.

[0034]FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 29 asviewed from one angle.

[0035]FIG. 31 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 30 asviewed from a second angle.

[0036]FIG. 32 is a plan view of another version of the present inventionusing another fastener retraction system.

[0037]FIG. 33 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 32.

[0038]FIG. 34 is a plan view of yet another method of fastenerretraction.

[0039]FIG. 35 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 34 at a lateroperation phase.

[0040]FIG. 36 is an enlarged perspective view of the fastener retractionassembly of FIG. 34.

[0041]FIG. 37 is a side view of another version of the present inventionin which the sheet is provided from a roll of material.

[0042]FIG. 38 is a plan view of another version of the present inventionusing another fastener retraction system.

[0043]FIG. 39 is a side view of the version of FIG. 38 shown in onestage of operation.

[0044]FIG. 40 is a side view of the version of FIG. 38 shown in a stageof operation subsequent to the stage shown in FIG. 39.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] The present invention comprises an apparatus for fastening acover to an article, such as a potted plant.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a platformhaving an upper support surface formed thereon and at least one openingextending through the upper support surface. The upper support surfaceis adapted to support at least one sheet of material in a cover formingposition over the opening. The opening is sized to accommodate a coverforming mold.

[0047] The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold disposedbelow the opening in the support surface. The cover forming mold hascontacting portions for contacting the sheet of material. The openingand the cover forming mold are adapted for receiving an article such asa flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, an upper opening and anouter peripheral surface such that when the article is moved in apre-determined direction, such as downward, the lower end of the articleis caused to engage a portion of the sheet of material disposed over theopening. The article and portions of the sheet of material thus passinto the cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage theouter peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions ofthe cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outerperipheral surface of the article forming a cover about the article andthereby forming a covered article. The cover of the covered article thenhas an inner surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the articleand an exposed outer surface adjacent the inner portion of the mold.

[0048] The apparatus further comprises a fastening device forautomatically applying a fastener about a portion of the outer surfaceof the covered article. The fastening device comprises a fastenerretraction assembly for grasping and retracting the fastener forclearing the fastener from the opening to allow clearance for insertionof a pot or article into the opening. In an alternate version, theapparatus may comprise a labeling assembly for automatically applying alabel to a portion of the outer surface of the cover of the coveredarticle, preferably after the cover has been fastened to the article.

[0049] The sheet of material used in accordance with the presentinvention is constructed from a material selected from a group ofmaterials described in greater detail below. The apparatus may furthercomprise a securing assembly for releasably securing the sheet ofmaterial in the cover forming position on the upper support surface forgenerally immobilizing the sheet prior to the forming step. Theapparatus may further comprise a sheet feeder for automatically placinga sheet of material on the support surface and/or a pick an placeassembly for picking up the article from an article supply and forplacing the article into the opening to form the covered article.Additionally, the apparatus may further comprise a removal assembly forautomatically removing the covered article from the opening of theplatform.

[0050] The present invention further comprises a method for processingan article, such as a flower pot or potted plant. The first stepcomprises providing a platform such as described above which has anupper support surface formed thereon and at least one opening extendingthrough the support surface. The opening is sized exactly as describedabove and has a cover forming mold disposed therein. Each cover formingmold has contacting portions and is sized to receive an article such asa potted plant which has an upper end, a lower end, an opening, and anouter peripheral surface.

[0051] The next step comprises placing a sheet of material in a coverforming position over the opening. The sheet of material, in the coverforming position, is positioned over the cover forming mold in theopening.

[0052] In the next step, a potted plant is covered with the sheet ofmaterial by positioning the potted plant in a position over the sheet ofmaterial and disposing the lower end of the pot generally above and nearthe portion of the sheet of material which is above the cover formingmold. The pot is moved in a direction which causes the lower end of thepot to engage a portion of the sheet of material. The sheet of materialis thereby caused to contact or nearly contact both the outer peripheralsurface of the pot and the contacting portions of the cover forming moldas the pot is moved. The sheet is pressed about the outer peripheralsurface of the pot to form a cover about the pot. The cover has an innersurface facing the outer peripheral surface of the pot and an outersurface facing the interior of the mold.

[0053] Following this, a fastener is automatically applied about aportion of the outer surface of the covered pot for fastening the coverabout the pot. Then, if a labeling assembly is included as a componentof the apparatus a label is automatically applied to a portion of theouter surface of the cover of the covered pot for labeling the coveredpot. Finally, the covered pot is removed from the opening.Alternatively, the step of automatically applying a label may occurprior to the step of automatically applying a fastener.

[0054] In an alternative embodiment, the step of placing a sheet ofmaterial on the support surface may be performed automatically using anautomatic sheet feeding assembly. Also, the step of forming a coveredarticle may be performed automatically by using an automatic pick andplace assembly to pick up an article and place it into the opening toform the covered article. Additionally, the step of removing the coveredarticle may further comprise automatically removing the covered articlefrom the opening of the platform.

[0055] The machine may be located on any axis and may be portable orstationary. The machine can use pre-cut sheets fed manually orautomatically with a dispenser which feeds a sized sheet from a roll tothe proper working position on the machine table. The fasteningapparatus may also tie the knot on a radius or on a tangent to theobject.

The Embodiments of FIGS. 1-3

[0056] Shown in FIG. 1 and designated therein by the general referencenumeral 10 is a sheet of material. The sheet of material 10 has a firstend 12, a second end 14, a first side 16, a second side 18, an uppersurface 20 and a lower surface 22.

[0057] A closure bonding material 24 may be disposed on the uppersurface 20 of the sheet of material, alternatively, the sheet ofmaterial 10 may be free of a closure bonding material. As shown in FIG.1, the closure bonding material 24, if present, may be disposed adjacentthe first side 16 of the sheet of material 10 and extends between thefirst and the second ends 12 and 14 of the sheet of material 10 or itmay be disposed on any other portion of the sheet 10. As shown in FIG.1, the closure bonding material 24 is disposed on the upper surface 20in a strip of closure bonding material 24, although the closure bondingmaterial 24 also could be applied to the upper surface 20 of the sheetof material 10 in the form of spaced apart spots or the closure bondingmaterial 24 also could be disposed on the upper surface 20 of the sheetof material 10 in any other geometric form and in any pattern includingcovering the entire upper surface 20 of the sheet of material 10. Inthis last-mentioned instance, the closure bonding material and theconnecting bonding material would be contained within the bondingmaterial covering the sheet of material 10. The term “spot” or “spots”includes any geometric shape of spot including, but not limited to, whatis commonly referred to as strips.

[0058] The sheet of material 10 has a thickness in a range from about0.1 mils to about 30 mils. Preferably, the sheet of material 10 has athickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 5 mils.

[0059] The sheet of material 10 may be any shape and a square orrectangular shape is shown in FIG. 1 only by way of example. The sheetof material 10 for example only may be square, rectangular, circular orany other geometric shape such as heart shaped, for example only.

[0060] The sheet of material 10 may be constructed of a single layer ofmaterial or a plurality of layers of the same or different types ofmaterials. Any thickness of the sheet of material 10 may be utilized inaccordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of material10 is wrappable about an object, such as a plant or flower pot, asdescribed herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet ofmaterial 10 may be connected together or laminated or may be separatelayers.

[0061] Shown in FIG. 2 is a second sheet of material 26. The secondsheet of material 26 has a first end 28, a second end 30, a first side32, a second side 34, an upper surface 36 and a lower surface 38. Thesecond sheet of material 26, if used is preferably constructed of paper.The term “paper” as used herein means treated or untreated paper,corrugated paper or cardboard or any other form of paper material.

[0062] The first sheet of material 10 has a length 40 extending betweenthe first and the second sides 16 and 18 of the sheet of material 10.The first sheet of material 10 also has a width 42 extending between thefirst and the second ends 12 and 14 of the first sheet of material 10.

[0063] The second sheet of material 26 has a length 44 extending betweenthe first and the second sides 32 and 34 of the second sheet of material26. The second sheet of material 26 has a width 46 extending between thefirst and the second ends 28 and 30 of the second sheet of material 26.In a preferred embodiment, the length 44 of the second sheet of material26 is less than the length 40 of the first sheet of material 10 as shownin FIG. 3 so that, when the first sheet of material 10 is disposedadjacent the second sheet of material 26, a portion of the first sheetof material 10 adjacent the first side 16 thereof extends a distancebeyond the first side 32 of the second sheet of material 26, in a mannerand for reason which will be described in greater detail below.

[0064] The first sheet of material has a thickness in a range from about0.5 mils to about 30 mils and preferably the thickness of the firstsheet of material is in a range from about 0.5 mils to about 10 mils.The first sheet of material 10 is constructed of a material which isflexible.

[0065] The second sheet of material 26 has a thickness in a range fromabout 0.1 mils to about 30 mils and preferably in a range from about 0.1mils to about 10 mils. The second sheet of material 26 is flexible, butrelatively rigid compared to the first sheet of material 10.

[0066] The second sheet of material 26 may be any shape and a square orrectangular shape is shown in FIG. 2 only by way of example. The secondsheet of material for example only may be square, rectangular, circularor any other geometric shape.

[0067] The second sheet of material 26 may be constructed of a singlelayer of materials or a plurality of layers of the same or differenttypes of materials. Any thickness of the second sheet of material 26 maybe utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as thesecond sheet of material 26 is wrappable about an object such as aflower pot, as described herein, and as long as the second sheet ofmaterial 26 provides the rigidity described herein or the absorbencydescribed herein or both. The layers of material comprising the secondsheet of material 26 may be connected together or laminated or may beseparate layers.

[0068] In operation, when a second sheet of material 26 is desired inaddition to the first sheet of material 10, the second sheet of material26 is placed adjacent the first sheet of material 10 as shown in FIG. 3.In this position, the lower surface 38 of the second sheet of material26 is disposed adjacent the upper surface 20 of the first sheet ofmaterial 10. The width 42 of the first sheet of material 10 is aboutequal to the width 46 of the second sheet of material 26 so that, whenthe first and the second sheets of material 10 and 26 are disposedadjacent each other, the first end 28 of the second sheet of material isgenerally aligned with the first end 12 of the first sheet of material10, the second end 30 of the second sheet of material 26 is generallyaligned with the second end 14 of the first sheet of material 10, thesecond side 18 of the first sheet of material 10 is generally alignedwith the second side 34 of the second sheet of material and the firstside 16 of the first sheet of material 10 extends a distance beyond thefirst side 32 of the second sheet of material 26 so that the closurebonding material 24 on the upper surface 20 of the first sheet ofmaterial 10 is exposed and not covered by the second sheet of material26.

[0069] It should be noted that the first and the second sheets ofmaterial 10 and 26 each could have virtually identical lengths 40 and44. In this case, the second sheet of material 26 is disposed on thefirst sheet of material 20 in such a manner that the second side 34 ofthe second sheet of material 26 extends a distance beyond the secondside 18 of the first sheet of material 10 whereby the first side 16 ofthe first sheet of material 10 is spaced a distance from the first side32 of the second sheet of material 26 thereby leaving the closurebonding material 24 on the first sheet of material 10 exposed and notcovered by the second sheet of material 26. And multiple sheets ofmaterial 10 and 26 may be used. Moreover, when multiple sheets ofmaterial 10 and 26 are used in combination, the sheets of material 10and 26 need not be uniform in size or shape. Finally, it will beappreciated that the sheets of material 10 and 26 shown in allembodiments herein are substantially flat.

[0070] As noted earlier, a closure bonding material may be disposed onthe upper surface of the first sheet of material 10. The closure bondingmaterial 24 may be applied as a strip or as spots or other shapes. Onemethod for disposing a closure bonding material, in this case anadhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637 entitled “Method ForWrapping A Floral Grouping” issued to Weder et al., on May 12, 1992 andwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] The first sheet of material 10 can be utilized alone or incombination with the second sheet of material 26 to wrap a potted plantor flower pot. The term “flower pot” refers to any type of containerused for holding a floral grouping or a potted plant. Examples of flowerpots used in accordance with the present invention are clay pots,plastic pots, and the like. “Floral grouping” as used herein means cutfresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower other fresh and/orartificial plants or other floral materials and may include othersecondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materialswhich add to the aesthetics of the overall floral arrangement. Thefloral grouping comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stem portion.However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist ofonly a single bloom or only foliage (not shown). The term “floralgrouping” may be used interchangeably herein with the term “floralarrangement”.

[0072] The first sheet of material 10 or the second sheet of material 26may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality oflayers of the same or different types of materials. Any thickness of thesheet of material 10 or 26 may be utilized in accordance with thepresent invention as long as the sheet of material 10 or 26 may bewrapped or formed about at least a portion of a portion of a flower pot,as described herein. Additionally, an insulating material such as bubblefilm, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilized in orderto provide additional protection for the item wrapped therein.

[0073] In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet of material 10 isconstructed from two polypropylene films (a 20″×15″ sheet of Mobil 270ABW white opaque film laminated to a 20″×15″ sheet of Mobil 220 AB clearfilm) having a thickness in a range of from less than about 1.0 mil toabout 2.5 mils. The layers of material comprising the first sheet ofmaterial 10 may be connected together or laminated or may be separatelayers.

[0074] The sheet of material 10 is constructed from any suitablewrapping material that is capable of being wrapped about a flower pot orfloral grouping, as the case may be. Preferably, the wrapping material10 comprises paper (untreated or treated in any manner), cellophane,foil, polymer film, fabric (woven or nonwoven or synthetic or natural),burlap, or combinations thereof.

[0075] The term “polymer film” means a man-made polymer such as apolypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. Apolymer film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing(substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.

[0076] The sheet of material 10 or 26 may vary in color. Further, thesheet of material 10 or 26 may consist of designs or decorative patternswhich are printed, etched, and/or embossed thereon using inks or otherprinting materials. An example of an ink which may be applied to thesurface of the sheet of material 10 or 26 is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,147,706 entitled “Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or synthetic organicpolymer” issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. In addition, the sheet of material 10or 26 may have various colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallicfinishes, or other decorative surface ornamentation applied separatelyor simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially bypearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent or the like,qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or incombination and may be applied to the upper and/or lower surface of thesheet of material 10 or 26. Moreover, each surface of the sheet ofmaterial 10 or 26 may vary in the combination of such characteristics.The sheet of material 10 or 26 itself may be opaque, translucent orpartially clear or tinted transparent.

Embodiments of FIGS. 4-8

[0077] Referring now to FIG. 4, a bonding material may be applied toeither the upper surface of a first sheet of material 10 a or to thelower surface of a second sheet 26 a of material in a plurality ofpatches 48 for the purpose of bonding the upper surface of the firstsheet 10 a to the lower surface of the second sheet 26 a.

[0078] Shown in FIG. 5 is a modified first sheet of material 10 bconnected to a modified second sheet of material 26 b. The first sheetof material 10 b is constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10.The second sheet of material 26 b is constructed like the sheet ofmaterial 26 described in detail before and shown in FIG. 2, except thesecond sheet of material 26 b includes a bonding material 60 disposed onthe lower surface 38 b of the second sheet of material 26 b. The bondingmaterial 60 is in the form of a plurality of spaced apart spots ofbonding material 60, similar to that shown in FIG. 4. The lower surface38 b of the second sheet of material 26 b is bondingly connected to theupper surface 20 b of the first sheet of material 10 b by way of thebonding material 60. Since the bonding material 60 is in the form of aplurality of spaced apart spots, a plurality of spaced apart spaces 62(only one of the spaces 62 being designated by reference numeral in FIG.5) are formed between the lower surface 38 b of the second sheet ofmaterial 26 b and the upper surface 20 b of the first sheet of material10 b. The spaces 62 provide air gaps which form an insulation when thefirst and the second sheets of material 10 b and 26 b are wrapped abouta flower pot in a manner and for reasons like that described herein.

[0079] Shown in FIG. 6 is a modified first sheet of material 10 cconnected to a modified second sheet of material 26 c. The first sheetof material 10 c is constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10shown in FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10 c includes abonding material 64 disposed on the upper surface 20 c of the firstsheet of material 10 c. The bonding material 64 is in the form of aplurality of spaced apart spots of bonding material 64, similar to thatshown in FIG. 5. The lower surface 38 c of the second sheet of material26 c is bondingly connected to the upper surface 20 c of the first sheetof material 10 c by way of the bonding material 64. Since the bondingmaterial 64 is in the form of a plurality of spaced apart spots, aplurality of spaces 66 (only one of the spaces 66 being designated by areference numeral in FIG. 6) are formed between the lower surface 38 cof the second sheet of material 26 c and the upper surface 20 c of thefirst sheet of material 10 c. The spaces 66 provide air gaps which forman insulation when the first and the second sheets of material 10 c and26 c are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner and for reasons likethat described herein in connection with FIG. 5.

[0080] Shown in FIG. 7 is a modified first sheet of material 10 dconnected to a modified second sheet of material 26 d. The first sheetof material 10 d is constructed exactly like the sheet of material shownin FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10 d includes a bondingmaterial 68 on the upper surface 20 d thereof. The second sheet ofmaterial 26 d is constructed exactly like the second sheet of material26 shown in FIG. 2, except the second sheet of material 26 d includes aplurality of spaced apart raised portions 70. The raised portions 70 maybe formed by embossing the second sheet of material 26 d or formingcorrugations in the second sheet of material 26 d or in any other mannerdesired in any particular application.

[0081] The upper surface 20 d of the first sheet of material 10 d isdisposed generally adjacent the lower surface 38 d of the second sheetof material 20 d or, more particularly, adjacent the raised portions 70on the second sheet of material 26 d. In this position, the raisedportions 70 are bonded to the upper surface 20 d of the first sheet ofmaterial 10 d by way of the bonding material 68 to connect the firstsheet of material 10 d to the second sheet of material 20 d.

[0082] The spaced apart raised portions 70 on the second sheet ofmaterial 26 d form a plurality of spaces 72 between the first sheet ofmaterial 10 d and the second sheet of material 26 d in a connectedposition of the first and the second sheets of material 10 d and 26 dfor providing insulation when the first and second sheets of material 10d and 26 d are connected together and wrapped about a flower pot in amanner like that described herein.

[0083] Shown in FIG. 8 is a modified first sheet of material 10 econnected to a modified second sheet of material 26 e. The first sheetof material 10 e is constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10shown in FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10 e includes aplurality of spaced apart raised portions 74. The raised portions 74 maybe formed in the first sheet of material 10 e by embossing the firstsheet of material 10 e or forming corrugations in the first sheet ofmaterial 10 e or in any other suitable manner. The second sheet ofmaterial 26 e is constructed exactly like the second sheet of material26 shown in FIG. 2, except the second sheet of material 26 e includes abonding material 76 disposed on the lower surface 38 e thereof.

[0084] In operation, the upper surface 20 e of the first sheet ofmaterial 10 e is disposed generally adjacent the lower surface 38 e ofthe second sheet of material 26 e or, more particularly, the raisedportions 74 on the first sheet of material 10 e are disposed adjacentthe lower surface 38 e of the second sheet of material 26 e. In thisposition, the first sheet of material 10 e is bondingly connected to thesecond sheet of material 26 e by way of the bonding material 76 on thesecond sheet of material 26 e or, more particularly, the bondingmaterial 76 on the second sheet of material 26 e bondingly engages andbondingly connects to the raised portions 74 on the first sheet ofmaterial 10 e to connect the first sheet of material 10 e to the secondsheet of material 26 e. In this connected position of the first sheet ofmaterial 10 e and the second sheet of material 26 e, the raised portions74 cooperate to form a plurality of spaces 76. Between the first sheetof material 10 e and the second sheet of material 26 e. The spaces 76cooperate to provide an insulation when the first and the second sheetsof material 10 e and 26 e are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner andfor reasons like that described herein.

Embodiments of FIGS. 9-10

[0085] Referring now to FIG. 9, a plurality of individual sheets ofmaterial 10 f are connected linearly together to form a roll 80.Preferably, the plurality of sheets of material 10 f in the roll 80 areconnected by perforations 82, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Such a roll 80permits one sheet of material 10 f to be withdrawn from the roll 80,then severed or disconnected from the roll 80. Alternatively, as shownin FIG. 10, the roll 80 may simply be formed as a continuous roll 80 ofwrapping material without perforations, wherein a plurality of sheets ofmaterial 10 f may be removed from the roll 80 by unrolling a portion ofthe roll 80, and using a separate cutting element (not shown) to severthe unrolled portion of the roll 80 of material to form the sheet ofmaterial 10 f. The roll 80 may also be contained within a dispenser 84,as illustrated in FIG. 10. When the roll 80 is disposed in the dispenser84, a portion of the wrapping material is again unrolled, and a serratedcutting edge 86 contained within the dispenser 84, or a separate cuttingelement (not shown), severs the unrolled portion of the wrappingmaterial from the roll 80 to form a sheet of material 10 f. Any numberof sheets of material 10 f may form the roll 80 as long as it ispossible to withdraw at least one sheet 10 f from the roll 80 asdescribed herein.

Embodiments of FIGS. 11-12

[0086] The first and the second sheets of material described herein canbe provided in the form of a roll of first and second sheets of materialwherein the first and the second sheets of material are unrolled fromthe roll of first and second sheets of material and the first and thesecond sheets of material are severed from the roll either byperforations at spaced apart locations in the roll or by cutting thefirst and the second sheets of material from the roll. It also should benoted that additional sheets of material may be combined with the firstand the second sheets of material if so desired in a particularapplication.

[0087] Shown in FIG. 11 is a roll of material 90 comprising a firstmaterial 92 and a second material 94 with the second material 94 beingdisposed adjacent the first material 92. The first material 94 isconstructed of any of the materials described before with respect to thefirst sheet of material. The second material 94 is constructed of any ofthe materials described before with respect to the second sheet ofmaterial.

[0088] The roll of material 90 is disposed in a dispenser 96 having anopening 98 through which the materials 92 and 94 may be withdrawn fromthe roll of material 90. A cutting edge 100 is disposed on the dispenser96 near the opening 98. The cutting edge 100 may be a sawtooth type ofedge, as shown in FIG. 11, or the cutting edge 100 may be any other typeof edge or device suitable for cutting a portion of the materials 92 and94 from the roll of material 90 and the cutting edge 100 may beconnected to the dispenser 96 or may be a separate component if desiredin particular application.

[0089] The roll of material 90 has a leading edge 102. In operation, theleading edge 102 is gripped or a portion of the first and/or the secondmaterials are gripped and the first and the second materials areunrolled and withdrawn from the roll of material 90 in a direction 104.The first and the second materials 92 and 94 are withdrawn or unrolledfrom the roll of material 90 until a desired length of the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 have been withdrawn from the roll of material90. In this position, a portion of the first and the second materials 92and 94 are disposed adjacent the cutting edge 100. The first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 then are maneuvered to pass the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 over the cutting edge 100 thereby severing aportion of the material extending a distance from the leading edge 102thereof from the roll of material 90. The portion of the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 withdrawn from the roll of material 90 andsevered from the roll of material 90 comprise the first and the secondsheets of material as described herein.

[0090] The first and the second materials 92 and 94 in the roll ofmaterial 90 may be connected or unconnected. Further, the roll ofmaterial 90 may comprise two rolls of material with one of the rolls ofmaterial comprising the first material 92 and the other roll of materialcomprising the second material 94. In this last-mentioned embodiment,the first material 92 is withdrawn from the first roll of material andthe second material 94 is withdrawn from the second roll of materialabout simultaneously so that the first and the second materials 92 and94 are provided in a manner as generally shown in FIG. 11 for severingfrom the first and second rolls of material to provide the first and thesecond sheets of material as described herein. The term “roll ofmaterial” as used herein is intended to encompass two or more rolls inthe manner generally described.

[0091] Shown in FIG. 12 is a modified roll of material 90 a comprising afirst material 92 a and a second material 94 a with a leading edge 102a. The roll of material 90 a is constructed exactly like the roll ofmaterial 90 described before, except the roll of material 90 a is notdisposed in a dispenser constructed like the dispenser 96 shown in FIG.11. Rather, the roll of material 90 a is supported on a generallymounted shaft 106. The first and the second sheets of material 92 a and94 a are withdrawn from the roll of material 90 a in a manner like thatdescribed before in connection with FIG. 11 until a predetermined lengthof the first and the second materials 92 a and 94 a have been withdrawnfrom the roll of material 90 a. In this position, a portion of the firstand the second materials 92 a and 94 a are disposed under a knife edge108. The knife edge 108 is connected to an actuator 110 adapted to movethe knife edge 108 in a direction 112 and in a direction 114. When thepredetermined length of the first and the second materials 92 a and 94 ahave been withdrawn from the roll of material 90 a, the actuator 110actuates to move the knife edge 108 in the direction 112 to a positionwherein the knife edge 108 severingly engages the materials 92 a and 94a to severingly cut a portion of the first and the second materials 92 aand 94 a from the roll of materials 90 a to provide the first and thesecond sheets of material as described herein. The actuator 110 maycomprise a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or a motor and geararrangement or any other form of arrangement suitable for moving theknife edge 108 in the directions 112 and 114. After the knife edge 108has cuttingly severed the desired portion of the first and the secondsheets of material 92 a and 94 a from the roll of material 90 a, theactuator 110 is actuated to move the knife edge 108 in the direction 114to a storage position disposed a distance above the first and the secondmaterials 92 a and 94 a as opposed to the cutting position previouslydescribed.

Embodiment of FIG. 13

[0092] Shown in FIG. 13 is a pad 116 of first sheets of materialsdesignated by the reference numerals 10 f, 10 g, and 10 h in FIG. 13 anda plurality of second sheets of material designated in FIG. 13 by thereference numerals 26 f, 26 g and 26 h. The first sheets of material 10f, 10 g and 10 h may be constructed like the sheet of material 10 shownin FIG. 1 and described in detail before and the second sheets ofmaterial 26 f, 26 g and 26 h may be constructed like the second sheet ofmaterial 26 shown in FIG. 2 and described in detail before, or like anyof the other first and the second sheets of material described herein.The first and the second sheets of material 10 f, 10 g, 10 h, 26 f, 26 gand 26 h are connected in the form of a pad 116 with the closure bondingmaterial 24 f, 24 g and 24 h cooperating to connect the first sheets ofmaterial 10 f, 10 g and 10 h in the form of the pad 116. The secondsheets of material 26 f, 26 g and 26 h may be connected to therespective first sheets of material 10 f, 10 g and 10 h or may beinterleaved between the adjacent first sheets of material 10 f, 10 g and10 h in the pad 116. In the alternative, the second sheets of material26 f, 26 g and 26 h may be connected to form the pad 116 with the firstsheets of material 10 f, 10 g and 10 h being interleaved in therespective second sheets of material 26 f, 26 g and 26 h and/orconnected thereto. In operation, one of the first sheets of material 10f, 10 g or 10 h along with the adjacent second sheet of material 26 f,26 g and 26 h may be removed from the pad 116 and then placed inposition to be wrapped about the flower pot.

Embodiments of FIGS. 14-18

[0093] As noted above, a first sheet of material 10 or a first sheet 10and a second sheet of material 26 may be used to provide a decorativecover for an object such as a flower pot or a potted plant. To cover theobject, the sheet or sheets may be manually or automatically placed in aposition to be formed about the outer peripheral surface of the pot orpotted plant as described in more detail below. Or, the sheet or sheetsmay be formed into a preformed cover which is then placed in a positionto receive the pot or potted plant.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 14, to form a sheet of material 10 i into acover about a pot 140, the sheet of material 10 i is disposed above anopening in a platform. The pot 140 is then disposed upon the uppersurface 20 i of the sheet of material 10 i, so the lower end 142 of thepot 140 rests upon the portion of the upper surface 20 i which is overthe opening. The pot 140 has an outer peripheral surface 144 and anupper end 146. In one embodiment of a manual application of the sheet 10i about the pot 140, the pot 140 is manually pushed in a direction intothe opening covered by the sheet 10 i. The upper surface 20 i of thesheet of material 10 i is caused to be pressed about the outerperipheral surface 20 i (FIG. 15) thereby engaging the outer peripheralsurface 20 i to form a cover 148 about the pot 140 as shown in FIG. 16.The lower surface 22 i of the sheet of material 10 i thereby becomes theouter surface 150 of the cover 148.

[0095] Another method for wrapping the sheet of material 10 i about apot 140 for forming such a cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521entitled “Cover Forming Apparatus” issued to Weder et al., on Mar. 29,1988, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0096] A cover 148 formed by wrapping the sheet of material 10 i aboutthe flower pot 140 may be secured to the outer peripheral surface 144 ofthe pot 140 by the use of one or more bonding materials describedherein. One particular method of securing the cover 148 to the pot 140is by applying a band about the pot 140 to hold the covering in placesuch as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599 entitled “Means ForSecuring A Decorative Cover About A Flower Pot” issued to Weder on Apr.21, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0097] Alternatively, the sheet of material may be preformed into acover 152 having an opening 154 as shown in FIG. 17. The cover 152 isself-supporting by virtue of overlapping folds which are bonded to eachother, thereby forming a rigid structure. The preformed cover 152 may bedeposited into an opening in a table or platform to support the cover152. A potted plant 156 can then be disposed into the opening 154 of thepreformed cover 152, thereby resulting in a covered potted plant 158 asshown in FIG. 18.

[0098] One method for forming such a preformed plant cover or pot coveris shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 entitled “Article Forming System”issued to Weder et al., on Sep. 27, 1988, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

Embodiments of FIGS. 19-22

[0099] Referring to FIG. 19, as shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 j is another sheet of material constructedin accordance with the present invention. The sheet of material 10 jshown in FIG. 19 has an upper surface 12 j, a lower surface 14 j (FIG.21), a first end 16 j, a second end 18 j, a first side 20 j and a secondside 22 j. The ends 16 j and 18 j cooperate with the sides 20 j and 22 jto define an outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet of material 10j. The outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet of material 10 j isdefined by perforations 26 j, as shown in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22.

[0100] As shown in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22, a sheet extension 28 j isconnected to the outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet of material10 j. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the sheet extension 28 j extends adistance outwardly from the outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheetof material 10 j. The sheet extension 28 j has a first end 30 j, asecond end 32 j, a first side 34 j and a second side 36 j. A portion ofthe sheet extension 28 j extends a distance outwardly from the first end16 j of the sheet of material 10 j terminating with the first end 30 jof the sheet extension 28 j. Another portion of the sheet extension 28 jextends a distance outwardly from the second end 18 j of the sheet ofmaterial 10 j terminating with the second end 32 j of the sheetextension 28 j. Yet another portion of the sheet extension 28 j extendsa distance outwardly from the first side 20 j of the sheet of material10 j terminating with the first side 34 j of the sheet extension 28 j.Still another portion of the sheet extension 28 j extends a distanceoutwardly from the second side 22 j of the sheet of material 10 jterminating with the second side 36 j of the sheet extension 28 j.

[0101] The sheet extension 28 j cooperates with the sheet of material 10j to define a generally square or rectangularly shaped sheet with theperforations 26 j being disposed in a central portion of the sheet anddefining the outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet of material 10j. Preferably, the sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 jare unitary and formed from a single sheet or plies or multiple sheetsone on top of the other which may or may not be laminated.

[0102] The sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j areconstructed from any suitable flexible material that is capable of beingwrapped about a floral grouping and formed into the covering, asdescribed herein. Preferably, the sheet of material 10 j and the sheetextension 28 j are constructed of a material selected from a group ofmaterials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth (natural or synthetic),denim, burlap or polymer film as defined above or combinations thereof.

[0103] The sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j have athickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 30 mils. Preferably,the sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j have a thicknessin a range from about 0.1 mils to about 5 mils.

[0104] The sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j may beany shape and a rectangular shape is shown in FIG. 19 only by way ofexample. The sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j forexample only may be square, rectangular, circular or any other geometricshape such as heart shaped for example only.

[0105] The sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j may beconstructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers ofthe same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet ofmaterial 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j may be utilized in accordancewith the present invention as long as the sheet of material 10 j and thesheet extension 28 j is wrappable about a floral grouping and formableinto the covering, as described herein. The layers of materialcomprising the sheet of material 10 j and the sheet extension 28 j maybe connected together or laminated or may be separate layers.

[0106] The covering of the present invention is particularly constructedto be used with a pot 38 j (FIG. 20). The pot 38 j has a top 40 j, abottom 42 j with an opening through the top 40 j forming a receivingspace 44 j within the pot 38 j. The pot 38 j also has an outerperipheral surface 46 j. As shown in FIG. 20, the pot 38 j is generallycylindrically shaped. However, the pot 38 j may be any shaped as may bedesired in a particular application.

[0107] A floral grouping 48 j is disposed at least partially within thereceiving space of the pot 38 j, as shown in FIG. 20. The floralgrouping 48 j has a stemmed end 50 j and a bloom end 52 j. In oneembodiment as shown in FIG. 20, material such as soil 54 j is disposedin the receiving space 44 j and a portion of the stem end 50 j extendsinto the soil 54 j. The floral grouping extends a distance upwardly fromthe top 40 j of the pot 38 j terminating with the bloom end 52 j.

[0108] The sheet extension 28 j is transparent, although a decorativepattern also may be applied to the sheet extension 28 j.

[0109] The sheet of material 10 j with the sheet extension 28 jconnected thereto is placed between a male and a female die or otherforming means and formed into a pot cover 56 j (FIG. 21). As shown inFIGS. 21 and 22, the pot cover 56 j has a top 58 j, a closed bottom 60 jand a cover opening 62 j (FIG. 21) formed through the top 58 j andextending through the top 58 j a distance toward the bottom 60 j of thepot cover 56 j providing a pot receiving space 64 j (FIG. 21). The potreceiving space 64 j is shaped and adapted to receive the pot 38 j.

[0110] The pot cover 56 j has a plurality of overlapping folds 66 j(FIG. 21) with each of the overlapping folds 66 j extending at variousdistances and at various angles over an outer peripheral surface 68 j(FIG. 21) of the pot cover 56 j extending between the top 58 j and thebottom 60 j. The overlapping folds 66 j extend at various angles andover various distance over the outer peripheral surface 68 j.

[0111] The pot cover 56 j includes a skirt 70 j (FIGS. 21 and 22). Theskirt 70 j extends from the top 40 j of the pot 38 j radially outwardlywith an outer peripheral surface of the skirt 70 j being formed by theouter peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet of material 10 j. Theperforations 26 j extend along the outer peripheral surface of the skirt70 j formed by the outer peripheral surface 24 j of the sheet ofmaterial 10 j.

[0112] The overlapping folds 66 j may be connected or at least partiallyconnected. The connection of the overlapping folds may be accomplishedby using heat sealing material and heat sealing the overlapping folds orby adhesively or cohesively connecting the overlapping folds.

[0113] The pot 38 j is placed in the pot receiving space 64 j andpositioned in the pot cover 56 j such that the bottom 42 j of the pot 38j is disposed generally adjacent the bottom 60 j of the pot cover 56 j.The pot cover 56 j substantially encompasses the entire outer peripheralsurface 46 j of the pot 38 j including the bottom 42 j. The pot cover 56j extends from the bottom 42 j to the top 40 j of the pot 38 j. Theskirt 70 j extends radially outwardly from the top 40 j of the pot 38 j.

[0114] After the pot 38 j has been placed in the pot cover 56 j, theskirt extension 28 j is formed about the floral grouping 48 j to aposition wherein the sheet extension 28 j covers and encompasses asubstantial portion of the floral grouping including the bloom end ofthe floral grouping.

[0115] The sheet extension 28 j preferably includes a bonding material72 j (FIG. 19) disposed on the upper surface of the sheet extension 28 jand extending about the outer peripheral surface of the sheet extension28 j. After the sheet extension 28 j has been formed about the floralgrouping 48 j, the ends of the sheet of material are bonded together toprovide a closed end 74 j (FIG. 22). The term “bonding material” as usedherein is as defined below.

[0116] The sheet extension 28 j remains in a position extending aboutthe floral grouping 48 j until it is desired to remove the sheetextension 28 j. The sheet extension 28 j is removed from the pot cover56 j by tearing along the perforations 26 j separating the sheetextension 28 j from the pot cover 56 j. The sheet extension 28 j then isremoved from the floral grouping 48 j leaving the pot cover 56 jproviding a decorative cover for the pot 38 j.

[0117] In addition to the perforations 26 j, the sheet extension 28 jalso may include perforations extending between the perforations 26 jand the outer peripheral surface of the sheet extension 28 j to furtherassist in the removal of the sheet extension 28 j when it is no longerdesired to keep the sheet extension 28 j extending about the floralgrouping 48 j.

[0118] Shown in FIG. 23 and designated by the general reference number10 k is a sheet of material constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The sheet of material 10 k includes a first end 12 k, asecond end 14 k, a first side 16 k and a second side 18 k. The sheet ofmaterial 10 k also includes an upper surface 20 k (FIG. 23) and a lowersurface 22 k (FIG. 24).

[0119] A connecting bonding material 24 k is disposed on the uppersurface 20 k of the sheet of material 10 k. The sheet of material 10 khas an outer peripheral surface 26 k. The connecting bonding material 10k is disposed near and spaced a distance 28 k from the outer peripheralsurface 26 k of the sheet of material 10 k and extends generallycircumferentially about the sheet of material 10 k.

[0120] The sheet of material 10 k shown in FIG. 23 is circularly shapedand the connecting bonding material 24 k extends in a circularly shapedpattern over the upper surface 20 k of the sheet of material 10 k. Thesheet of material 10 k may be any geometric shape such as square orrectangular or heart shaped or trapezoidally shaped or any othergeometric shape. Further, the connecting bonding material 24 k mayextend in any geometric pattern over the upper surface 20 k of the sheetof material 10 k, and the circularly shaped pattern is shown in FIG. 23only by way of example.

[0121] A sheet extension 25 k is connected to the sheet of material 10k. The sheet extension 25 k extends about the outer peripheral surface26 k of the sheet of material 10 k. The sheet extension 25 k extendsoutwardly from the sheet of material 10 k terminating with an outerperipheral surface 27 k. The sheet extension 25 k has an upper surface29 k (FIG. 23) and a lower surface 31 k (FIG. 24). The upper surface 29k is disposed in a plane about coplanar with the upper surface 22 k ofthe sheet of material 10 k and lower surface 31 k is disposed in a planeabout coplanar with the lower surface 22 k of the sheet of material 10k.

[0122] The sheet extension 25 k and the sheet of material 10 k may beintegrally constructed of a single sheet of material or the sheetextension 25 k may be laminated to the sheet of material 10 k. Aconnecting bonding material 33 k is disposed on the upper surface 29 kof the sheet extension 25 k. The connecting bonding material 33 k isdisposed near and spaced a distance from the outer peripheral surface 27k of the sheet extension 25 k and extends generally circumferentiallyabout the sheet extension 25 k.

[0123] The sheet extension 25 k is shown in FIG. 23 as being circularlyshaped. The sheet extension 25 k may be any geometric shape such as asquare or rectangular or heart shaped or trapezoidally shaped or anyother geometric shape and the geometric shape of the sheet extension 25k may be the same as the geometric shape of the sheet of material 10 kor the sheet extension 25 k may have a geometric shape different fromthe geometric shape of the sheet of material 10 k. Further, although thesheet extension 25 k is shown in FIG. 23 as extending circumferentiallyabout the outer peripheral surface 26 k of the sheet of material 10 k,the sheet extension 25 k may extend only about a portion of the outerperipheral surface 26 k of the sheet of material 10 k or the sheetextension 25 k may comprise segments with each segment extending about aportion of the outer peripheral surface 26 k of the sheet of material 10k.

[0124] The sheet of material 10 k and the sheet extension 25 k may beconstructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers ofthe same or different types of materials as described above. Anythickness of the sheet of material 10 k and the sheet extension 25 k maybe utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as thesheet of material 10 k and the sheet extension 25 k are wrappable orformable about a flower pot or a floral grouping in the mannersdescribed herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet ofmaterial 10 k and the sheet extension 25 k may be connected together orlaminated or may be separate layers. A decorative pattern, such as acolor and/or an embossed pattern, and/or other decorative surfaceornamentation may be applied to the upper surface 20 k and/or the lowersurface 22 k of the sheet of material 10 k or portions thereof asdescribed above.

[0125] A decorative pattern, such as a color and/or an embossed pattern,and/or other decorative surface ornamentation may be applied to theupper surface 29 k and/or the lower surface 31 k of the sheet extension25 k or portions thereof as described above. The sheet extension 25 kalso may be totally or partially clear or tinted transparent material asdescribed above.

[0126] The connecting bonding materials 24 k and 33 k are shown in FIG.23 as being applied to the upper surface 20 k or the upper surface 29 kin the form of a circularly shaped strip. The connecting bondingmaterials 24 k or 33 k may be applied in the form of spots or spacedapart strips and the spots may be any geometric pattern or any othertype of pattern such as a logo for example. Further, the connectingbonding materials 24 k or 33 k may include a color to obscure the factthat the connecting bonding materials 24 k and 33 k are disposed on thesheet of material 10 k or the sheet extension 25 k.

[0127] Shown in FIG. 24 is a flower pot 30 k having an upper end 32 k, alower end 34 k and an outer peripheral surface 36 k. An opening 38 k isformed through the upper end 32 k of the flower pot 30 k providingaccess to a retaining space 40 k.

[0128] The retaining space 40 k forms an inner peripheral surface 42 kin the flower pot 30 k. A bottom 44 k of the flower pot 30 k is disposedat the lower end 34 k and cooperates to enclose or partially enclose theretaining space 40 k. The flower pot 30 k may be any conventional,commercially available container well known in the art.

[0129] Growing medium 45 k is shown in FIG. 24 disposed in the retainingspace 40 k and a floral grouping 47 k is shown in FIG. 24 partiallydisposed in the growing media 45 k. A portion of the floral grouping 47k extends a distance upwardly above the upper end 32 k of the flower pot30 k.

[0130] The flower pot 30 k is placed on the upper surface 20 k of thesheet of material 10 k. More particularly, the bottom 44 k of the flowerpot 30 k is disposed on a central portion of the sheet of material 10 k.In this position, the connecting bonding material 24 k extendscircumferentially about the flower pot 30 k and the connecting bondingmaterial 24 k is spaced a distance from the flower pot 30 k.

[0131] The sheet of material 10 k then is formed about the flower pot 30k to a position wherein the sheet of material 10 k extends about andencompasses substantially the entire outer peripheral surface 36 k ofthe flower pot 30 k, including the bottom 44 k. It should be noted thatthe sheet of material 10 k does not have to cover the bottom 44 k. Inthis position, a portion of the sheet of material 10 k is disposedadjacent the bottom 44 k of the flower pot 10 k and portions of thesheet of material 10 k extend upwardly and encompass the entire outerperipheral surface 36 k of the flower pot 30 k between the upper end 32k and the lower end 34 k of the flower pot 10 k. In one embodiment, theportions of the sheet of material 10 k extending over the outerperipheral surface 36 k are spaced a distance from the outer peripheralsurface 36 k of the flower pot 30 k to provide a blossom type affect.

[0132] In this position, the portion of the sheet of material 10 kdisposed near and about the connecting bonding material 24 k is crimpedby bringing together portions of the sheet of material 10 k near andabout the connecting bonding material 24 k so that portions of the sheetof material 10 k near and about the connecting bonding material 24 k aredisposed adjacent each other and the adjacent portions of the sheet ofmaterial 10 k are connected by way of the connecting bonding material 24k thereby forming a plurality of overlapping folds 45 k in the portionof the sheet of material 10 k near and about the connecting bondingmaterial 24 k. The connected overlapping folds 45 k extend at variousdistances and at various angles. The connected overlapping folds 45 k(FIG. 24) in the area near and about the portion of the sheet ofmaterial 10 k containing the connecting bonding material 24 k isdesignated in FIG. 24 by the reference numeral 46 k and maybe referredto herein as the crimped portion 46 k (FIG. 24).

[0133] A typical section showing a portion of a typical overlapping fold45 k is shown in FIG. 25. The adjacent portions of the sheet of material10 k on the upper surface 20 k are shown in FIG. 25 as being connectedwhile the adjacent portions of the sheet of material 10 k on the lowersurface 22 k are unconnected since no bonding material is disposed onthe lower surface 22 k. It should be noted that connecting bondingmaterial also can be disposed on the lower surface 22 k for connectingadjacent portions of the lower surface 22 k in the crimped portion 46 kif desired and as described in more detail below.

[0134] The crimped portion 46 k extends circumferentially about theupper end 32 k of the flower pot 30 k. The crimped portion 46 k alsoextends a distance inwardly from the upper end 32 k of the flower pot 30k toward a central portion of the retaining space 40 k thereby forming aridge portion 48 k extending circumferentially about the flower pot 30 kgenerally near the upper end 32 k of the flower pot 30 k. The crimpedportion 46 k and the ridge portion 48 k thereof cooperate to engage theupper end 32 k of the flower pot 30 k to assist and cooperate in holdingthe sheet of material 10 k formed about the flower pot 30 k to provide adecorative cover 50 k (FIG. 24).

[0135] The crimped portion 46 k when formed preferably causes adjacentportions of the upper and lower surfaces 20 k and 22 k of the sheet ofmaterial 10 k to be brought together or positioned adjacent each other.The crimped portion 46 k and the other crimped portions shown in thedrawings are shown in an expanded form where the portions of the lowersurface 22 k are not disposed adjacent each other for the purpose ofillustration and because this expanded form may be desired in someapplications.

[0136] Either before or after or during the forming of the crimpedportion 46 k, the sheet extension 25 k is formed about the floralgrouping 47 k to a position wherein the sheet extension 25 k encompassesa substantial portion of the floral grouping 47 k, as shown in FIG. 24.The sheet extension 25 k extends upwardly about the floral grouping 47 kwith a portion of the sheet extension 25 k extending upwardly beyond theupper end of the floral grouping 47 k terminating with the outerperipheral surface 27 k of the sheet extension 25 k and forming an openupper end. In this position of the sheet extension 25 k, portions of thesheet extension 25 k near the outer peripheral surface 27 k (the openupper end) thereof are brought into contact thereby bringing the bondingmaterial 33 k into contact and engagement with adjacent portions of thesheet extension 25 k for closing the sheet extension 25 k about or abovean upper end of the floral grouping 47 k.

[0137] In a preferred form, a line of perforations 53 k (FIGS. 23 and24) is formed between the sheet of material 10 k and the sheet extension25 k. The line of perforations 53 k extends generally about the outerperipheral surface 26 k of the sheet of material 10 k. The sheetextension 25 k encompasses the floral grouping 47 k and provides aprotective covering for the floral grouping 47 k to protect the floralgrouping 47 k during shipment and/or storage. When it is desired toremove the protective covering provided by the sheet extension 25 k, theoperator tears the sheet extension 25 k along the line of perforations53 k thereby severing or separating the sheet extension 25 k from thesheet of material 10 k so that the sheet extension 25 k can be removedfrom the sheet of material 10 k or, in other words, the protectivecovering may be removed from the decorative covering by tearing alongthe line of perforations 53 k.

[0138] The term “bonding material” when used herein means an adhesive,preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. Where thebonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must beplaced on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondinglyengaging with the cohesive material. The term “bonding material” alsoincludes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, theadjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and thenheat must be applied to effect the seal. The term “bonding material”also includes materials which are sonic sealable and vibratory sealable.The term “bonding material” when used herein also means a heat sealinglacquer which may be applied to the sheet of material and, in thisinstance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied toeffect the sealing.

[0139] The term “bonding material” when used herein also means any typeof material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding orconnecting of the two adjacent portions of the material or sheet ofmaterial to effect the connection or bonding described herein. The term“bonding material” also includes ties, labels, bands, ribbons, strings,tape, staples or combinations thereof. Some of the bonding materialswould secure the ends of the material while other bonding material maybind the circumference of the wrapper. Another way to secure thewrapping is to heat seal the ends of the material to another portion ofthe material. One way to do this is to contact the ends with an iron ofsufficient heat to heat seal the material.

[0140] The term “bonding material” when used herein also means any heator chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical means, magnetic means, mechanical or barb-type fasteningmeans or clamps, curl-type characteristics of the film or materialsincorporated in the sheet of material which can cause the material totake on certain shapes, and any type of welding method which may weldportions of the sheet to itself or to the pot, or to both the sheetitself and the pot.

[0141] The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination.The term “botanical item” also means any portion or portions of naturalor artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves,flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or incombination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floralgrouping.

[0142] The term “propagule” when used herein means any structure capableof being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction includingseeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.

[0143] The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid,solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivationof propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

[0144] The term “band” when used herein means any material which may besecured about an object such as a flower pot, such bands commonly beingreferred to as elastic bands, rubber bands or non-elastic bands and alsoincludes any other type of material such as an elastic or non-elasticstring or elastic piece of material, non-elastic piece of material, around piece of material, a flat piece of material, a ribbon, a piece ofpaper strip, a piece of plastic strip, a piece of wire, a tie wrap or atwist tie or combinations thereof or any other device capable ofgathering the sheet of material to removably or substantiallypermanently form a crimped portion and secure the crimped portion formedin the sheet of material which may be secured about an object such asthe flower pot. The band also may include a bow if desired in aparticular application.

[0145] The sheet of material used herein may further comprise at leastone scent (not shown). Examples of scents utilized herein include (butare not limited to) floral scents (flower blossoms, or any portion of aplant), food scents (chocolate, sugar, fruits), herb or spice scents(cinnamon), and the like. Additional examples of scents include flowers(such as roses, daisies, lilacs), plants (such as fruits, vegetables,grasses, trees), foods (for example, candies, cookies, cake), foodcondiments (such as honey, sugar, salt), herbs, spices, woods, roots,and the like, or any combination of the foregoing. Such scents are knownin the art, and are commercially available.

[0146] The scent may be disposed upon the sheet of material 10 byspraying the scent thereupon, painting the scent thereupon, brushing thescent thereupon, lacquering the scent thereupon, immersing the sheet ofmaterial in a scent-containing liquid, exposing the sheet of material toscent-containing gas, or any combination thereof.

[0147] The scent may be contained within a lacquer, or other liquid,before it is disposed upon the sheet of material 10. The scent may alsobe contained within a dye, ink, and/or pigment (not shown). Such dyes,inks and pigments are known in the art, and are commercially available,and may be disposed upon or incorporated in the sheet of material 10 byany method described herein or known in the art.

Embodiments of FIGS. 26-28

[0148] In one version, the apparatus of the present invention comprisesa platform having an upper support surface formed thereon and at leastone opening extending through the upper support surface. The uppersupport surface is adapted to support at least one sheet of material ina cover forming position over the opening. The opening is sized toaccommodate a cover forming mold.

[0149] The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold disposedbelow the opening in the support surface. The cover forming mold hascontacting portions for contacting the sheet of material. The openingand the cover forming mold are adapted for receiving an article such asa flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, an upper opening and anouter peripheral surface such that when the article is moved in apre-determined direction, such as downward, the lower end of the articleis caused to engage a portion of the sheet of material disposed over theopening. The article and portions of the sheet of material thus passinto the cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage theouter peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions ofthe cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outerperipheral surface of the article forming a cover about the article andthereby forming a covered article. The cover of the covered article thenhas an inner surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the articleand an exposed outer surface adjacent the inner portion of the mold.

[0150] The apparatus further comprises a fastening device forautomatically applying a fastener about a portion of the outer surfaceof the covered article. In an alternate version, the apparatus maycomprise a labeling assembly for automatically applying a label to aportion of the outer surface of the cover of the covered article,preferably after the cover has been fastened to the article.

[0151] The sheet of material used in accordance with the presentinvention is constructed from a material selected from a group ofmaterials described in greater detail below. The apparatus may furthercomprise a securing assembly for releasably securing the sheet ofmaterial in the cover forming position on the upper support surface forgenerally immobilizing the sheet prior to the forming step. Theapparatus may further comprise a sheet feeder for automatically placinga sheet of material on the support surface and/or a pick an placeassembly for picking up the article from an article supply and forplacing the article into the opening to form the covered article.Additionally, the apparatus may further comprise a removal assembly forautomatically removing the covered article from the opening of theplatform.

[0152] Referring now to FIG. 26, a portion of a covering and fasteningassembly designed in accordance with the present invention is generallydesignated by the reference numeral 170. The covering and fasteningassembly 170 is mounted upon a framework (not shown) which may be mobileor stationary. The assembly 170 comprises an upper platform 172 whichhas an upper support surface 174 and an opening 176.

[0153] A sheet of material (such as sheet 26 in FIG. 2) is manuallyplaced upon the upper support surface 174 generally over the opening 176in the upper support surface 174. The sheet of material may be obtainedfrom a stack of sheets such as shown in FIG. 13, or may be obtained froma sheet dispenser such as shown in FIGS. 10-12 and discussed above. Inone alternate version of the invention, the sheet of material may beautomatically fed from a sheet feeding apparatus (not shown). Automaticsheet feeding devices are well known in the art. Examples of such sheetfeeding machines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,805 issued to Herbertet al., 4,889,331 issued to Sardella, and 5,090,676 issued to Matsumo etal. An automatic sheet feeding machine, if used, is detachably connectedto the framework of the apparatus of the present invention.

[0154] In a preferred version of the invention, a cover former (notshown) is detachably mounted in each opening 176. Examples of coverformers contemplated in accordance with the present invention aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 as discussed above, and are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

[0155] An article or potted plant or pot such as pot 140 may bedelivered to the apparatus manually or automatically. When the operationis manual, a pot 140 or a potted plant such as the potted plant 156 isdisposed above the sheet of material and is pushed downward into theopening 176, through the cover former disposed therein, forming thesheet of material into a cover 180 about the potted plant.

[0156] Alternatively, the potted plant 156 may be deposited into thecover forming position by a pick and place machine (not shown) which isan apparatus for grasping an article from a plurality of storedarticles, delivering the article to the correct position above a sheetof material and then automatically depositing the article into theopening 176, and disengaging from the article once the article isdeposited into the opening 176. Such pick and place machines arefamiliar to persons of ordinary skill in the art of object pickup andplacement.

[0157] Once a pot 140 or potted plant 156 has had a cover 180 appliedthereabout, a fastening assembly 182 serves to apply a fastener 184about the cover 180 which has been applied about the pot 140 or pottedplant 156. Examples of fastening machines include tying machines such asthose commercially available from Saxmeyer, Bunn, Felins, and Cyclops.

[0158] The fastening machine 182 is mounted upon the mobile orstationary framework.

[0159] In the embodiment represented in FIGS. 26-28, the fasteningassembly 182 is constructed to apply a fastener or band to the coveredarticle or pot in a plane beneath the upper support surface 174. Thefastening assembly 182 comprises a tie arm 186 having a tie end 188 anda pivot end 190, a tie arm shaft 192, a knotter head 194, a rocker plate196 and a vertical rod 198 mounted to a lower support assembly 200. Astring, tie, wire, or other type of band or fastener 184 is drawnthrough the knotter head 194 and engaged with the tie end 188 of the tiearm 186. The fastener 184 is looped outside of the vertical rod 198 asshown in FIG. 26 which serves as a fastener retraction assembly so thatthe stress of the fastener 184 upon the cover 180 is relieved so as notto tear the cover 180. The tie arm 186 is rotated by the tie arm shaft192 in a direction 202 when the tie arm shaft 192 is rotated in adirection 204 by a drive motor (not shown) of the fastening assembly182.

[0160] An optional labeling apparatus (not shown) is a separate unitwhich can be mounted and removed from the main framework of the coveringand fastening assembly 170. Such labeling devices are known by personsof ordinary skill in the label applying art and are commerciallyavailable. The label (not shown) is applied to the side of the cover 180of the potted plant 156 before or after the fastener 184 is appliedabout the cover 180. The label may be an adhesive label or may beapplied as an ink jet, or even by stamping. As the covered potted plantis recovered from the opening of 176 after the fastener 184 has beenapplied and knotted, the knotted fastener 184 slips off the vertical rod198 and holds the cover 180 about the pot 140 or potted plant 156.

Embodiments of FIGS. 29-31

[0161] Referring now to FIGS. 29-31, an alternative covering andfastening assembly is generally designated by the reference numeral 170a. The fastening assembly 170 a is exactly the same as the apparatus 170except that it is modified to apply the fastener 184 a to the cover 180a in a plane above the upper support surface 174 a. A tie arm 186 a issupported by a tie arm shaft 192 a above the upper support surface 174a. The fastener 184 a is looped about a set of studs 206 a-d which serveas a fastener retraction assembly and which function to relieve thestress of the fastener 184 a as it is applied about the cover 180 a. Thestuds 206 a-d are reciprocatingly mounted in the upper support assembly172 a so that the studs 206 a-d can be retracted into the upper supportassembly 172 a to allow the fastener 184 a to grasp the cover 180 a. Thestuds 206 a-d can be controlled electrically, pneumatically,hydraulically or by another power source.

Embodiments of FIGS. 32-33

[0162] Referring now to FIG. 32, a covering and fastening assembly isdesignated by the reference numeral 170 b. The assembly 170 b is exactlylike the assembly 170 a of FIGS. 29-31 except that instead of using aplurality of studs 206 a-d to function as a fastener retractionassembly, the assembly 170 b uses a fastener retraction assembly 208comprising a first retraction unit 210 and a second retraction unit 212.

[0163] The first retraction unit 210 comprises a first grasping arm 214having a grasping end 216 for catching and holding a portion of thefastener 184 b. The second retraction unit 212 comprises a secondgrasping arm 218 having a grasping end 220 for catching and holding aportion of the fastener 184 b different from the portion of the fastener184 b held by the first grasping arm 214. The first retraction unit 210and the second retraction unit 212 may be automatically controlled andmay comprise pneumatically or hydraulically controlled pistons.

[0164] In operation, the first grasping arm 214 grasps a portion of thefastener 184 b and the second grasping arm 218 grasps another portion ofthe fastener 184 b. The first grasping arm 214 is retracted in direction222 and the second grasping arm 218 is retracted in direction 224 untilthe fastener 184 b is retracted to a position as shown in FIG. 32 inwhich the fastener 184 b is drawn away from the opening 176 b in theupper support surface 174 b whereby the opening 176 b is available foran article or pot to be deposited therein. Once a pot or article hasbeen deposited into the opening to form a cover 180 b substantially asdescribed above for the assembly 170 a, the first retraction arm 214 andthe second retraction arm 218 are caused to release the fastener 184 bwhereby the fastener 184 b engages the circumference of the cover 180 babout the pot or article and holds the cover 180 b thereabout. Thecovered pot or article can the be removed from the fastening andcovering assembly 170 b.

Embodiment of FIGS. 34-36

[0165] Referring now to FIG. 34, another version of the covering andfastening assembly of the present invention is designated by the generalreference numeral 170 c. The assembly 170 c is exactly like assembly 170b of FIGS. 32-33, except that instead of using a pair of retractionunits 210 and 212, as a fastener retraction assembly, a fastenerretraction assembly 230 is alternatively comprised of a U-shapedretraction arm 232 attached to a cylinder 234. The retraction arm 232comprises a first grasping prong 236 having a grasping end 238 and asecond grasping prong 240 having a second grasping end 242. Theretraction arm 232 is attached to a rod 244 which is reciprocatinglydisposed within the cylinder 234.

[0166] In operation, the rod 244 is advanced in direction 246 until thegrasping ends 238 and 242 catch the fastener 184 c. Once the retractionarm 232 has grasped the fastener 184 c, the rod 244 is reciprocatinglyretracted by the cylinder 234 in direction 248 until the fastener 184 chas been retracted a distance sufficient to clear the opening 176 c inthe upper support surface of the fastening and covering assembly 170 cas shown in FIG. 35. The assembly 170 c is at that point prepared toproceed in the operation of applying a cover to a pot or articledisposed in the opening 176 c. After the pot has been disposed into theopening 176 c and a cover formed thereabout, the fastener 184 c isreleased from the fastener retraction assembly 230.

Embodiment of FIG. 37

[0167] Referring now to FIG. 37, a covering and fastening assembly isdesignated by the general reference numeral 170 d. The assembly 170 d isexactly any of assemblies 170, 170 a, 170 b, or 170 c except that thesheet of material is supplied from a roll of material substantially asdescribed above in the embodiment of FIG. 12.

[0168] Shown in FIG. 37 is a roll of material resting on a shaft 252supported by a support assembly 254. A clutch assembly 256 which isdriven by a drive assembly (not seen) such as a motor advances a portionof the roll of material 250 under an idler roller 258 until the portionof the roll 250 is advanced a predetermined length. A knife edge 260which is connected to an actuator 262 serves to sever the portion of thesheet from the roll of material 250. The sheet is then ready to be usedto be formed as a cover about a flower pot.

In Operation

[0169] In operation, the present invention comprises providing acovering and fastening apparatus such as the one designated by thereference numeral 170 c in FIGS. 34-36. In the first operational step, asheet of material 10 is placed on the upper support surface 174 c in acover forming position over the opening 176 c. There placed, the sheetof material 10 is positioned over the cover former (not shown) mountedwithin the opening 176 c.

[0170] In the next step, the article, or in the preferred embodiment apot 140 containing a plant is removed from a storage position. The pot140 is positioned over the sheet of material 10 the potted plant isdisposed generally above and near the portion of the sheet of material10 which is above the cover former mounted in the opening 176 c. Then,the pot 140 is moved in a direction through the cover former toward alower support assembly (not shown, but similar to the lower supportassembly 200 shown in FIGS. 27-28) which causes the lower end of the pot140 to engage a portion of the sheet of material 10. The pot 140 andportions of the sheet of material 10 pass through the cover formercausing the sheet of material 10 to contact or nearly contact both theouter peripheral surface 144 of the pot 140 and the contacting portionsof the inner perimeter of the cover former. The sheet 10 is therebypressed about the outer peripheral surface 144 of the pot 140 therebyforming a cover 148 about the pot 140 and retaining the covered pot 140in the opening 176 c. The pot 140 is advanced through the cover formeropening until the lower end 142 of the pot 140 rests on or nearly restson the lower support assembly 330. A band or fastener 184 c isautomatically applied about a portion of the outer surface 150 of thecover 148 of the covered potted plant 158 by the fastening apparatuswhereby the cover 148 is fasteningly secured about the pot 140. In thenext step, the covered potted plant 158 is removed.

[0171] The method may comprise the optional step of manually arrangingportions of the cover 148 and the exposed portions of the plant so thatthe cover 148 and potted plant are attractively and optimally arrangedprior to the fastening step.

[0172] The method may also comprise the additional step of engaging anautomatic labeling device (not shown) wherein a label (not shown) isautomatically applied to a portion of the outer surface 150 of the cover148 of the pot 140. The label may be applied to the outer peripheralsurface 150 of the cover 148 or the label may be applied to the bottom(not shown) of the cover 148 through an opening in the lower supportassembly 200.

Embodiments of FIGS. 38-40

[0173] Referring now to FIGS. 38-40, another version of the presentinvention is designated by the general reference numeral 170 e. Thefastening assembly 170 e is exactly the same as the assembly 170 a inFIGS. 29-31 except in the construction of the mechanism for retractingand releasing the fastener. The fastening assembly 170 e comprises anupper support assembly 172 e having an upper support surface 174 e whichhas an opening 176 e. A pot 178 e having a cover 180 e is shown in theopening 176 e. A fastener 184 e is looped about a first retraction pin270 and a second retraction pin 272. Pin 270 is stationarily mountedupon the upper support surface 174 e. Similarly, pin 272 is stationarilymounted upon the upper support surface 174 e. The pot 178 e is supportedby a pot base cup 274 which is supported on a base plate 276. Base plate276 is mounted on a reciprocating piston 278 which can be manually orautomatically caused to urge the base plate 276 and base plate cup 278in an upward direction 280 or a downward direction 282.

[0174] The fastener assembly 170 e further comprises a pin strippingassembly 286. The function of the pin stripping assembly 286 is to stripthe fastener 184 e from the pins 270 and 272 after the fastener 184 ehas been tied to allow the tied fastener 184 e to engage and bind thecover 180 e about the pot 178 e. The pin stripping assembly 286comprises a first stripper 288 and a second stripper 290. The firststripper 288 strips the fastener 184 e from the first pin 270. Thesecond stripper 290 strips the fastener 184 e from the second pin 272.Each stripper 288 and 290 is disposed about the pins 270 and 272,respectively, in such a manner that the stripper is able toreciprocatingly slide up and down the pin. Each pin 270 and 272 has astop. One such stop is shown in FIGS. 39 and 40 and is designated by thereference numeral 292. The stop 292 functions to prevent the stripper288 from sliding too far down the pin 270. The stop 292, if present, maybe adjustable. Each stripper 288 and 290 has an arm 294 and 296,respectively.

[0175] The pin stripping assembly 286 further comprises a support frame298 which is connected to the base plate 276 via a support arm 300.Connected to the upper end of the support frame 298 is a first stripperlifting post 304 which has an upper end 306 and a second stripperlifting post 308, also which has an upper end (not shown).

[0176] The stripper assembly 286 further comprises a first pot restraint310 connected to the support frame 298 and a second pot restraint 312also connected to the frame 298. The pot restraints 310 and 312 functionto prevent the pot 178 e from leaning in the direction of the fastenerpins 270 and 272 when tension is applied by the fastener 184 e to theside of the pot 178 e which is opposite the pins 270 and 272.

[0177] In operation, the stripper assembly 286 is activated when thebase plate 276 is urged upwardly in direction 280. The base plate 276 islifted by the piston 278 a predetermined distance 314. At this point,the upper end of the pot 178 e has been “ejected” or elevated to aposition at least partially beyond the opening 176 e in the supportsurface 174 e in order to facilitate removal of the covered pot from thecovering assembly.

[0178]FIG. 39 shows the pot orientation before the base plate 276 islifted and FIG. 40 shows the pot orientation after the base plate 276 islifted a distance 314 in direction 280. During the process of liftingthe base plate 276 to eject the covered pot 178 e, each stripper liftingpost 304 and 306 is elevated and each engages, respectively, the arms294 and 296 of strippers 288 and 290. When, for example, stripperlifting post 304 is elevated, the upper end 306 engages arm 294 ofstripper 288, causing the stripper 288 to be slidingly elevated upwardlyalong the pin 270 and causing the fastener 184 e to be released from thepin 270. The action is repeated for the portion of the fastener 184 ewhich is engaged by pin 272. The fastener assembly 286 can then be moveddownwardly in direction 292 in preparation of repeating the process.

[0179] It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art thateach of the covering and fastening assemblies discussed herein above maybe outfitted with means for enabling the apparatus to be mobile, forexample, with wheels or casters. It will also be understood that each ofthe covering and fastening assemblies may be used with a labelingapparatus for applying a label to the covered pot. Each covering andfastening system may also be used in conjunction with an automatic sheetfeeding apparatus.

[0180] Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of thevarious components, elements and assemblies described herein or in thesteps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for fastening a cover about an article,comprising: providing a platform having a support surface formed thereonand an opening extending through the support surface, the opening sizedto receive a cover forming means and having a cover forming meansdisposed therein, the cover forming means having contacting portions andsized to receive an article having an upper end, a lower end, and anouter peripheral surface; placing a sheet of material in a cover formingposition over the opening and on the support surface wherein the sheetof material, in the cover forming position, is positioned over the coverforming means; providing the article; positioning the article in aposition over the sheet of material and in a position wherein the lowerend of the article is disposed generally above and near the portion ofthe sheet of material which is above the cover forming means; forming acovered article by moving the article in a direction which causes thelower end of the article to engage a portion of the sheet of material,the article and portions of the sheet of material passing through thecover forming means causing the sheet of material to contact or nearlycontact both the outer peripheral surface of the article and thecontacting portions of the cover forming means as the article is movedwherein the sheet is pressed about the outer peripheral surface of thearticle to form a cover about the article, the cover having an innersurface facing the outer peripheral surface of the article and anexposed outer surface; automatically applying a fastener about a portionof the outer surface of the cover of the article for fastening the coverabout the article; and removing the covered article from the platform.2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of placing the sheet ofmaterial, the material further comprises a material selected from agroup of materials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth (natural orsynthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film or combinations thereof. 3.The method of claim 1 comprising the additional step of providing meansfor releasably securing the sheet of material in the cover formingposition for generally immobilizing the sheet until after the sheet hasbeen formed about the article.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the stepof placing a sheet of material on the support surface is performedautomatically.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providingthe article, the article is further defined as a flower pot containing abotanical item therein.
 6. The method of claim 1 comprising theadditional step of moving the platform to a site where the article isprovided.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming a coveredarticle is performed automatically by using an automatic pick and placemeans to pick up an article and place it into the opening to form thecovered article.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step ofautomatically applying a fastener, the fastener is selected from a groupconsisting of elastic or non-elastic string, wire, thread, elastic,ribbon, wire and tape.
 9. The method of claim 1 comprising theadditional step of engaging an automatic labeling means andautomatically applying a label to a portion of the outer surface of thecover of the article.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step ofremoving the covered article further comprises automatically removingthe covered article from the opening of the platform.
 11. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the fastener is applied about the cover of the articleto a portion of the cover which is above the cover forming means. 12.The method of claim 1 wherein the fastener is applied about the cover ofthe article to a portion of the cover which is below the cover formingmeans.
 13. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional step ofmechanically retracting the fastener for providing clearance of theopening which extends through the support surface.
 14. The method ofclaim 1 comprising the additional step of automatically elevating thecovered pot to a position at least partially above the platform forfacilitating the removal of the covered article from the platform.
 15. Amethod for processing an article, comprising: providing a platformhaving a support surface formed thereon and an opening extending throughthe support surface, the opening sized to receive a cover forming meansand having a cover forming means disposed therein, the cover formingmeans having contacting portions and sized to receive an article havingan upper end, a lower end, and an outer peripheral surface; placing asheet of material in a cover forming position over the opening and onthe support surface wherein the sheet of material, in the cover formingposition, is positioned over the cover forming means; providing thearticle; positioning the article in a position over the sheet ofmaterial and in a position wherein the lower end of the article isdisposed generally above and near the portion of the sheet of materialwhich is above the cover forming means; forming a covered article bymoving the article in a direction which causes the lower end of thearticle to engage a portion of the sheet of material, the article andportions of the sheet of material passing through the cover formingmeans causing the sheet of material to contact or nearly contact boththe outer peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portionsof the cover forming means as the article is moved downward wherein thesheet is pressed about the outer peripheral surface of the article toform a cover about the article, the cover having an inner surface facingthe outer peripheral surface of the article and an exposed outersurface; automatically applying a fastener about a portion of the outersurface of the cover of the article for fastening the cover about thearticle; automatically applying a label to a portion of the outersurface of the cover of the article; and removing the covered articlefrom the platform.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein step ofautomatically applying a label occurs prior to the step of automaticallyapplying a fastener.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein in the step ofplacing the sheet of material, the material further comprises a materialselected from a group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil,cloth (natural or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film orcombinations thereof.
 18. The method of claim 15 comprising theadditional step of providing means for releasably securing the sheet ofmaterial in the cover forming position for generally immobilizing thesheet until after the sheet has been formed about the article.
 19. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the step of placing a sheet of material onthe support surface is performed automatically.
 20. The method of claim15 wherein in the step of providing the article, the article is furtherdefined as a flower pot containing a botanical item therein.
 21. Themethod of claim 15 comprising the additional step of moving the platformto a site where the article is provided.
 22. The method of claim 15wherein the step of forming a covered article is performed automaticallyby using an automatic pick and place means to pick up an article andplace it into the opening to form the covered article.
 23. The method ofclaim 15 wherein in the step of automatically applying a fastener, thefastener is selected from a group consisting of elastic or non-elasticstring, wire, thread, elastic, ribbon, wire and tape.
 24. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the step of removing the covered article furthercomprises automatically removing the covered article from the opening ofthe platform.
 25. The method of claim 15 wherein the fastener is appliedabout the cover of the article to a portion of the cover which is abovethe cover forming means.
 26. The method of claim 15 wherein the fasteneris applied about the cover of the article to a portion of the coverwhich is below the cover forming means.
 27. The method of claim 15comprising the additional step of mechanically retracting the fastenerfor providing clearance of the opening which extends through the supportsurface.
 28. The method of claim 15 comprising the additional step ofautomatically elevating the covered pot to a position at least partiallyabove the platform for the removal of the covered article from theplatform.
 29. An apparatus for fastening a cover to an article,comprising: a platform having a support surface formed thereon and anopening extending through the support surface, the support surfaceadapted to support at least portions of a sheet of material in aposition generally over the opening; a framework for supporting theplatform; a cover forming means disposed in the opening in the supportsurface, the cover forming means having contacting portions forcontacting the sheet of material, the opening and the cover formingmeans adapted for receiving an article having an upper end, a lower end,and an outer peripheral surface such that when the article is movedtoward the opening the lower end of the article is caused to engage aportion of the sheet of material disposed over the cover forming meansin the opening, the article and portions of the sheet of material thuspassing through the cover forming means causing the sheet of material toengage the outer peripheral surface of the article and the contactingportions of the cover forming means as the article is moved whereinportions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outerperipheral surface of the article forming a cover about the article andthereby forming a covered article, the cover of the covered articlehaving an inner surface facing the outer peripheral surface of thearticle and an exposed outer surface; and means for automaticallyapplying a fastener about a portion of the outer surface of the coveredarticle for fastening the cover about the article.
 30. The apparatus ofclaim 29 further comprising means for releasably securing the sheet ofmaterial in the cover forming position for generally immobilizing thesheet until after the sheet has been formed about the article.
 31. Theapparatus of claim 29 further comprising means for automatically placinga sheet of material on the support surface.
 32. The apparatus of claim29 further comprising means attached to the framework enabling movementof the apparatus.
 33. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising meansfor automatically applying a label to a portion of the outer surface ofthe cover of the covered article.
 34. The apparatus of claim 29 furthercomprising means for automatically picking and placing the article forpicking up the article from an article supply and placing the articleinto the opening to form the covered article.
 35. The apparatus of claim29 wherein the fastening means is able to apply a fastener selected froma group consisting of elastic or non-elastic string, wire, thread,elastic, ribbon, wire and tape.
 36. The apparatus of claim 29 furthercomprising means for automatically removing the covered article from theopening of the platform.
 37. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the meansfor applying the fastener applies the fastener in a position above thecover forming means.
 38. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the means forapplying the fastener applies the fastener in a position below the coverforming means.
 39. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising fastenerretraction means for retracting the fastener for providing clearance ofthe opening which extends through the support surface.
 40. The apparatusof claim 29 further comprising means for automatically elevating thecovered pot to a position at least partially above the platform forfacilitating the removal of the covered article from the platform. 41.An apparatus for fastening a cover to an article, comprising: a platformhaving a support surface formed thereon and an opening extending throughthe support surface, the support surface adapted to support at leastportions of a sheet of material in a position generally over theopening; a framework for supporting the platform; a cover forming meansdisposed in the opening in the support surface, the cover forming meanshaving contacting portions for contacting the sheet of material, theopening and the cover forming means adapted for receiving an articlehaving an upper end, a lower end, and an outer peripheral surface suchthat when the article is moved in a pre-determined direction the lowerend of the article is caused to engage a portion of the sheet ofmaterial disposed over the cover forming means in the opening, thearticle and portions of the sheet of material thus passing through thecover forming means causing the sheet of material to engage the outerperipheral surface of the article and the contacting portions of thecover forming means as the article is moved wherein portions of thesheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outer peripheral surfaceof the article forming a cover about the article and thereby forming acovered article, the cover of the covered article having an innersurface facing the outer peripheral surface of the article and anexposed outer surface; means for automatically applying a fastener abouta portion of the outer surface of the covered article for fastening thecover about the article; and means for automatically applying a label toa portion of the outer surface of the cover of the covered article. 42.The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising means for releasablysecuring the sheet of material in the cover forming position forgenerally immobilizing the sheet until after the sheet has been formedabout the article.
 43. The apparatus of claim 41 further comprisingmeans for automatically placing a sheet of material on the supportsurface.
 44. The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising means forautomatically picking and placing the article for picking up the articlefrom an article supply and placing the article into the opening to formthe covered article.
 45. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the fasteningmeans is able to apply a fastener selected from a group consisting ofelastic or non-elastic string, wire, thread, elastic, ribbon, wire andtape.
 46. The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising means forautomatically removing the covered article from the opening of theplatform.
 47. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the means for applyingthe fastener applies the fastener in a position above the cover formingmeans.
 48. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the means for applying thefastener applies the fastener in a position below the cover formingmeans.
 49. The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising fastenerretraction means for retracting the fastener for providing clearance ofthe opening which extends through the support surface.
 50. The apparatusof claim 41 further comprising means for automatically elevating thecovered pot to a position at least partially above the platform forfacilitating the removal of the covered article from the platform. 51.The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising means attached to theframework enabling movement of the apparatus.